Pokémon Legends: Z-A Basic Information
Pokemon Legends: Z-A, also known as Pokémon Legends: Z-A, is the ninth generation of Pokémon video games, officially released in 2025. Earlier this year, the developers announced it as a first-generation Switch exclusive. Later, with the release of the second-generation console, the developers released an enhanced port for Switch 2.
How To Play Pokemon Legends: Z-A?
Upon entering the game, players are given three starting Pokémon to choose from: Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig. They then engage in real-time battles, requiring players to constantly master the positioning of their character, Pokémon, and the timing of their moves to precisely maneuver and dodge Pokémon attacks.
This is completely different from the turn-based battles in the same series of games, but this battle method that tests the player’s ability to formulate strategies and upgrade Pokémon will make the final rewards more high and rich. In addition, a new gameplay called ZA Royale has been added, which is only held at night.
In this competition, players must launch preemptive attacks against enemy players roaming Lumiose City’s Battle Zone at night, knocking them unconscious for a few seconds. Conversely, enemy players can launch corresponding attacks against your character. Furthermore, there are side quests in the form of reward cards. Players can find and complete these cards to earn points and participate in promotion battles.
Battle Club has been added to Pokémon Legends: Z-A as a multiplayer mode, allowing up to four players to participate in Link Battles, where the winner is the player who defeats the most Pokémon within a specified timeframe. There are also Ranked Battles, which pit players against each other for ranking points.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Commodity For Sale
- Legends: Z-A Pokémon
Aside from the three initial pets, other high-level Pokémon with high combat abilities must be obtained through catching or battling. However, at EZG.com, there are a large number of in-game Pokémon for sale, making your acquisition journey much easier and more enjoyable!
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Pokémon Legends: Z-A Changes Rules And Challenges Of Shiny Pokémon Hunting
As a special existence in Pokémon series that is deeply loved by players, Shiny Pokémon has become the target of many players and an iconic element of the series with its unique color and rarity.
However, in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, some changes to the game mechanics have brought new challenges and adjustments to Shiny Pokémon hunting.
Shiny Pokémon Locking Mechanic
In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Shiny-locked is a concept that all experienced hunters must understand. It specifically refers to Pokémon that cannot appear in shiny form at all.
These Pokémon are mainly divided into the following categories, which constitute the regret that they cannot be conquered in the current version:
- Legendary Pokémon: Includes Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, and Mewtwo
- Mythical Pokémon: Includes Diancie, Hoopa, and Volcanion
- Starter Pokémon: Includes Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile
It's worth noting that Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are always Shiny-locked Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and players cannot obtain their Shiny forms through normal gameplay.
However, their shiny forms may be unlocked through events in the future, which is also a common update method for Pokémon series of games.
Similarly, Pokémon given as gifts after completing a task will never appear in shiny form, requiring players to find other ways to find their shiny versions in the wild or other ways to make the game experience richer.
Additionally, while Shiny-locked Pokémon are only available during the initial game selection phase for Starter Pokémon, players still have a chance to find Shiny forms of Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile in Wild Zone 20 after completing the main story.
Alternatively, you can explore other areas in Lumiose City to find and capture wild shiny Starter Pokémon. Players can use Pokémon Legends: Z-A Held Items to increase the combat power of existing Pokémon, greatly increasing their capture probability, leaving a glimmer of hope for players' pursuit of a full shiny Pokédex.
Autosave
If Shiny-locked is a restricted hunting area for players, then the forced auto-save function in Pokémon Legends: Z-A has dropped a heavy bomb on the entire Shiny Poké hunting battlefield. So Unfortunately, its forced autosave feature makes it more difficult for you to encounter Shiny Pokémon in the wild.
In the past, because Shiny Pokémon were randomly generated based on random numbers generated by the game code, hunters would manually save their games before encountering a precious Legendary Pokémon, then repeatedly restart the game to refresh the game's random numbers until it appeared in its most dazzling shiny form. This is a battle between perseverance and probability. Although it seems boring, it will eventually pay off.
However, the introduction of autosave breaks this cycle. This feature will automatically overwrite the save file at multiple nodes that are beyond the control of the player, such as loading a new map, starting a key story mission, or ending an important battle, which makes the soft reset method almost ineffective.
It prevents players from fixing a safe save point and trying again and again. Every time the game is loaded, it may be a completely new, automatically saved progress, making it impossible to rewind. This is undoubtedly the biggest obstacle for players who are obsessed with Legendary Shiny Pokémon.
Currently, the game's settings interface has very few options and does not provide a switch to turn off auto-save. This has sparked widespread discussion in the player community, with many speculating that this feature may be added as an optional feature in future game updates. But before that, hunters can only pray for good luck in this irreversible adventure.
Shiny Hunting Improvements
Despite the challenges, Pokémon Legends: Z-A development team has also introduced a series of user-friendly improvements to make Shiny Hunting more friendly and relaxed than ever before.
Its iconic flash appearance sound and visual effects return and may be more eye-catching. This crisp prompt sound ensures that players will not miss the hard-earned opportunities under any circumstances.
Shiny Charm obtained by completing Pokédex is still the most reliable partner. It can effectively increase the basic appearance probability of Shiny Pokémon and is a standard item for every player.
Perhaps the best thing about Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is its persistence. Once you find a Shiny Pokémon in the world, even if you lose a battle with it, are forced to retreat, or even leave the area entirely, there's a high chance it'll still be there waiting for you when you return.
According to some player community feedback, this extremely high level of durability greatly reduces the risk of accidentally missing out on a Shiny Pokémon permanently, making each encounter feel more like a precious save point rather than a fleeting moment.
Overall, Pokémon Legends: Z-A significantly raises the bar for hunting Shiny Pokémon by disabling soft resets and locking some Pokémon. However, it rewards exploration and discovery by ensuring that Shiny Pokémon, once they appear, are unlikely to disappear.
This shift makes players' search for Shiny Pokémon more dependent on chance in the vast world rather than simple patient repetition.
This might frustrate some hunters who crave guaranteed Pokémon, but for most players, the surprise and uniqueness of each chance encounter with a Shiny Pokémon will likely be multiplied. It's no longer a controlled process, but more like an unexpected gift.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is redefining Shiny Pokémon hunting experience through this series of reforms, demonstrating the game developers' effort to strike a balance between tradition and innovation. For countless Pokémon trainers, this marks both the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.
Want to make a lasting impression in this new era? Safe Pokémon Legends: Z-A Shiny Pokémon trading in EZG.com gives you a head start on your Shiny collection journey and unlocks this unique Shiny experience right away!